iFi audio ZEN DAC

This is a very short review of my experience with iFi's Zen Dac V2 (Full MQA Hardware decoding). Box is very simple, not fancy at all. Inside it, we find no power adapter (sold separately), a data and power USB cable for PC and phones, RCA cables and a 6.3 to 3.5 adapter. The design has a retro look, not for all tastes (I don't find it ugly though). On the front, we have 2 output s(4.4 and 6.3 mm), a gain selector (low or high gain) and a bass boster (true bass) botton as well. On the back, we have the USB input and 2 analog outputs (RCA and 4.4 pentacon). We can choose if we want the Zen Dac to work as a preamp or just as a desktop DAC (fixed output voltage). Build quality is top notch.

Going in to the sound department, the Zen V2 has a very distinguished sound signature, a tad dark with a great level of warmth in all frequencies. Bass is just slightly accentuated but not in a bad way, it makes a more musical experience. Midrange is lush and treble is very soft. This results in a very enjoyable experience with headphones such as the HD 560s, that has a bright profile and its treble is a bit to hot for my taste. With iFi's Zen Dac V2, I can enjoy all my albums without worrying a piercing treble response. In addition, it preserves a very good technical level, so you don't loose any detail or relevant information, it's just presented in a different way.


In terms of power, this stays somewhere in the middle, has more power than almost any Dongle Dac in the market but it's not close to any entry level dedicated headphone amplifier such as Schiit's Magni 3 or JDS Atom Amp. For example, using HD 560s, low gain at 11 o'clock was perfect for me. My main criticism is that the balanced ouput hast just more power to it. I think entry level products such as this sould focus on developing the best SE output they can instead of offering a balanced output. Still the performance is good even my IEMS using low gain.

Final take

The truth is there is not a lot to complain here, it's a very solid product with some weird decisions regarding the design. The problem is that for a little more money, you can get a desktop DAC with multiple inputs and a headphone amplifier with more power for hungrier headphones. I think if you can get for around a 100 dollars it's pretty good but I wouldn't pay full price for it.

Hi Guys,

Today we are taking a look at the top of the Zen Range DAC from iFi. Anyone who reads this blog or my posts knows I’m a fan of iFi’s products, especially at the more affordable end of the product spectrum. I think they offer a lot of sound for the money, and usually strike a good balance between a very agreeable tonality and technical performance when compared to other options of the market in a similar price range.

The Zen range originally consisted of one product line, but has since become a three tier product range. You have the most affordable, single ended line, the Zen AIR. The original, now mid tier range, the plain Zen V2 line. Thirdly, you now have the Zen Signature line, which improves on some of the components and circuits used. I’m curious if the Zen AIR range was created to try and target the original price point and affordability of the the original Zen line, due to increased costs across the the board resulting in much higher MSRP of the original (now V2) line.


The Zen Signature lineup consists of the Zen One Signature, a bluetooth/USB combo DAC, the Zen Can Signature, which is a headphone amp/preamp, and the Zen DAC Signature, which is the subject of todays review.

The Zen DAC Signature is unlike the Zen AIR DAC, and the Zen DAC V2, as it is the only standalone DAC in the entire line up, in that it doesn’t feature a headphone amp. It can be used as a preamp as it does also have an analog volume control. The major differences from the Zen DAC V2, are the use of higher quality components, improved USB input, and some circuit changes. The look is entirely different, featuring a navy blue shell and black front panel. I actually really like the look of the Signature range, and think it looks much better than the other Zen lines. The back of the volume knob lights up in different colours according to the sample rate you are playing, and overall, makes the unit quite fetching in terms of aesthetics.

Of course, the most important thing isn’t how it looks, but how it sounds. In terms of overall tonal balance the Zen DAC Signature is very similar to the Zen DAC, with slight improvements in overall refinement and clarity. For the rest of the comparisons I will just refer to the Signature as the Sig.

The bass of the Sig is somewhat rounded off sounding, and there is a slight bloom to the low end (and lower mids) which does bring some slight warmth to the overall sound signature. The Sig is not a bass monster or very bass light either, but there does seem to be slight elevation of the low end. In terms of impact or slam, the somewhat rounded off nature takes away from the perceived speed of and impact of the lows, but I also wouldn’t say the bass is muddy or lacking definition.

The low mid range of the Sig does have the slight warmth and elevation mentioned previously. The upper mid range is not massively forward or recessed, and seems mostly neutral throughout that range. I found the Sig to work really well with acoustic music, and vocals in particular. The upper mids were never shouty or harsh and nasal. However, if you are looking for a very neutral DAC with a lot of slam and speed for electronica and a neutral tonal balance, you might be better with a different option.

The high end of the Sig was probably my favourite part of its overall response. Not sharp or sibilant, and not overly forward. At the same time, mostly neutral sounding, not recessed or too dark. If you prefer a darker sounding DAC, or perhaps are using very bright headphones/speakers, you might be better served with a different DAC, but for most users I think the treble of the Sig will be very agreeable.


The Sig retails for $300USD currently, which for the performance it provides is very fair I reckon. It does improve on the technical performance of the Zen DAC V2, and as such, also the Zen Air DAC I would assume (I have not yet heard the Air DAC.) The overall detail levels and clarity seem slightly increased. The sound staging is very similar, but the imaging does seem slightly sharper and well placed throughout the soundstage vs the V2. It’s not a massive difference in terms of overall technical improvement, but it is noticeable and does add up to a more refined and higher performing sound signature.

The build quality of the Sig is largely similar to the other Zen Lines, and simply has a different colour scheme. All of the Zen line feel well built, solid and sturdy in the hand, and entirely in line with their price point. You can choose to run the Sig off the USB input for its power and data, or buy a separate DC input power brick to provide the power, and use the USB for data. You can choose either balanced or SE output via RCA for SE, and 4.4mm pentaconn for balanced. This will require a pentaconn to XLR cable, which can be bought separately. I would recommend using the balanced output if possible, as it does improve on the SE output. With that being said, if your amplification only has SE inputs, you aren’t missing out on a ton, and I would still recommend the Sig even if it is only going to be used single ended. The volume control and pre amp function is achieved using an analog pot, which as long as you are above 9 o’clock has good channel matching. It’s a handy feature to have, and would work well either to a power amp directly, or to a pair of active speakers. I mostly just used the Sig with a headphone amplifier, but I did try the pre out function, and found that it worked well and as advertised. You can turn off the preamp function on the rear of the device by selecting “fixed” vs. “variable.”


Overall, the Zen DAC Signature is a great option in the $300USD range if you don’t need amplification built in, like the rest of the Zen DAC options. It is the highest performing DAC model in the range, and also works as a pre amp if you are a speaker user. I think that its overall tonal balance is very agreeable, and will likely work for the vast majority of users well. The colour scheme is attractive, and easy on the eyes, and an improvement over the grey of the Zen V2 line up. The technical performance is an improvement over the Zen DAC V2, and entirely acceptable for the price point. If you are looking for a colder sounding DAC, with a sharper leading edge, you may be better off with a different option, but for most people, I think that the Zen DAC V2, is a better choice than a lot of the other similar option on the market currently.

iFi Zen Signature Series DAC V2 & CAN HFM: Continuing what is loved from the series.


Pros: Affordable duo, typical iFi excellent sound, versatility, cool look to it


Cons: Shape while cool, is not conducive to stacking, maybe not as powerful as one would like, other options available now


While at T.H.E. Show, last summer, I struck up a conversation with one of the vendors present; Michael Giardina from BeachHiFi, which is an online shop specializing in portable gear. Michael brought some heavy hitters to the show, from the Audeze LCD-5, to the Meze Elite, to the Focal Utopia, and newly released Audeze MM500. Much time was spent at the booth by the patrons, and for good reason. But, in talking to Michael, he offered to send some quality offerings my way. I told him I already had the Zen Signature HFM in hand, from iFi and he determined the MZ99 would be quite complimentary. The iFi Zen Signature Series HFM here is from Lawrance and iFi. Two newly released options to the “standard” Signature Series are the HFM (HiFiMan) version and the MZ99 (Meze 99C). This review will be very similar to the MZ99 review, but a worthy comparison should come about easily. I thank Lawrance, and iFi for the loan of this excellent duo.

iFi is not new. The British company has been producing portable and home gear for a little over a decade, with fantastic success. I have several of their items and consider my iFi Pro iDSD/iCAN DAC/Amp to be the peak of what I personally own. Known for incredible power, but with equally good control over that power matched by wonderfully vibrant sound is a trademark or “house sound” to me. With the original Zen Series, iFi brought that superb power and sound control into the much more manageable price range. It is not surprise that the line is a success, especially following the excellent xDSD/xCAN combination. The Zen Series is also more affordable that the x-series as well. Early reviews called the Zen Series a winner at the affordable price and a true contender for those who want top class sound in an affordable package. While the HFM and MZ99 reviews will be separate, I will draw comparisons to the pair of duos, to compare equalization curves and general sound characteristics.

The Skinny

Retailing for $599 as a pair, you can also use the DAC V2 as a pre-amp for other amplifiers. Meant to be purchased as a pair here, you get everything you need to hook the pair up and get running quickly. A nice addition is the 4.4bal cable, which pairs the two; allowing for a balanced option through the whole system from source to headphone. I ran the MZ99 pair this way throughout the test, except for the 6.35mm jack, which was used by the Meze 99 Classics I had in on loan. For the HFM I used the HiFiMan Edition XS, through the 6.35mm jack with an adapter. I also threw on the excellent HiFiMan Arya for comparative purposes. What separates the two variations are the equalization curve, tailoring each to the specific headphones mentioned. The HFM curve is listed below.


HFM curve


With upgraded circuit components and short, direct signal paths for optimal signal purity, the duo delivers bit-perfect PCM (up to 32-bit/384kHz), native DSD (up to DSD256) and DXD. Using 16-core XMOS chip (the same as their Pro series), rather than the original 8-core, the DAC V2 is now a full MQA decoder rather than a renderer. Also offering a pair of RCA sockets for single-ended connection to an amp, you can run RCA connections as well as the balanced 4.4mm output mentioned. That XMOS 16-Core chip processes the audio data received via the USB digital input, with a new low-latency XMOS microcontroller, greatly enhanced processing power. Compared to the current generation of eight-core chips, this new 16-core IC delivers double the clock speed (2000MIPS) and four times the memory (512KB), as well as the latest SuperSpeed USB standard.

According to iFi, “The full benefit of the ZEN DAC Signature V2’s balanced circuit design comes to the fore when it is connected to an amp or active speakers equipped with a balanced input. This can either be a 4.4mm Balanced input or stereo XLR inputs via a 4.4mm-to-XLR cable.”

You can also switch between ‘variable’ and ‘fixed’ outputs. On Fixed, the volume is bypassed in the DAC V2, while on variable, you can use the volume knob. A light surrounding the DAC V2 volume knob also allows you to see the level being decoded by a changing color, format dependent. I kept the unit switched to fixed for the majority of time.

If you need more power from the ZEN CAN Signature HFM, which delivers 1600mW (7.2V) into 32 ohms from the single-ended output, and 15V+ available to loads of 600 ohms or more through the balanced output, you can use the PowerMatch feature boasting four gain settings in six dB steps – 0dB, 6dB, 12dB and 18db. The Zen also boasts symmetrical, dual-mono balanced circuitry. The XSpace button functions along with the HFM switch to vary sound signatures a bit. The XSpace functions to “modify” sound location within the soundstage, essentially enhancing the soundstage (in-head localizations) within limitations. To me this functions similarly to the 3D switches on the older iFi models I own, broadening soundstage from a bit to cavernous stadium-like sound.


The specialty of the HFM is its HiFiMan equalization tuning (pictured above), which helps “fill in” what others might do normally with equalizing on their own. While the Edition XS I used, is a fantastic headphone, I do find it a slightly bass shy for my tastes, and with a bit too much emphasis on the upper mids (similar to the Meze 99C, coincidentally). Pushing the HFM button brings forth control in iFi’s version of equalizing. Adding in lower sub bass, and a taming a bit of the upper mids allows me to thoroughly enjoy the sound. Rebelution’s Safe And Sound came forth with deep reaching, bass that was taut in control, but full of excellent rumble. The lowering of the upper mids did not tame the vocals, nor Ziggy Marley’s when played beforehand, coming across with vibrancy and a slight push forward. The HFM equalization curve, which is readily available shows exactly what iFi did to limit the “discrepancies” some find in HiFiMan models. Also listed is which headphones of HiFiMan will work the best, down to average help at best. This is a nice feature to have so you know which of your HiFiMan models work best. Nonetheless, the addition was very prevalent when turned off. Mids came forward more than I liked, and bass fell behind the scene as well. Mids seemed to become flatter in response without the EQ curve, and hence I left the HFM setting on for the vast majority of time. If I wanted more “verve,” I switched on the XSpace as well; giving me an added amount of space between notes. Note overly expansive, but one of those “just right” moments from the fabled fairy tale.


Michael Franti & Spearhead’s excellent The Sound Of Sunshine came across like I was sitting on the beach on a wonderful summers day. Vocals were excellent, and the extension of sound beyond my head was enhanced without using the XSpace button. I was really enjoying the sound. Mind you, I still have the PowerMatch on 0dB’s added. Running the volume at the 1000 positon was plenty vibrant for me, and loud enough. Switching to the earsonics Grace Platinum with a 4.4bal cable, 0900 was plenty loud to me. This shows the versatility of the Zen Sig Series as well. Running the Platinum without the HFM or XSpace EQ settings gave a rich, vibrant tone all itself. I did run both on for a thrill, and the bass was a bit overwhelming, but fantastic.



finale:

Beyond all of the great sound, which emanates from within the Zen duo, the looks promote a curvy sensuousness to your desktop as well. Mind you, I have nothing against plain black boxes, but the shapeliness of the iFi duo adds a certain Zen-like peace and order to your surroundings. Plus, controls are readable and quite handy as well. Yes, the volume knob is quite large, and could do with a better volume location “detent,” but in the overall scheme, it works. You work the volume knobs the most in my mind, so making them handy and prominent is quite fittings.

What do we end up with then? I am a fan of iFi, whether it be their affordable components or their expensive ones. But I have noticed that some of their products may not have hit the “correct” marks. By that I mean not only target audience, but price point. iFi never fails to innovate, though. From my first audition of the superb (and nuclear powerful) micro Black Label, to the tubey goodness of the Pro combo I own, the company has laid a path that many follow. All try and compete at a better price. When doing so, there certainly are some items, which come about as cheaper, but to me fail to completely impress like the equivalent iFi product. And here is where the Zen Signature Series excels in my mind. The “ordinary” Zen Signature Series was quite good for the price, but the V2 and subsequent HFM & MZ99 versions here exceeds that. It is powerful, poised, adaptable, and very good looking as well. It ticks all the right buttons in my mind, and that is all I can ask of it. Miles Davis On Green Dolphin Street sounds quite nice as I finish this, and I can highly recommend the iFi Zen Signature Series, no matter the tuning.